In early August, the southern part of the city was as hot as a giant steamer. Although the city's greenery was quite good, with lush foliage everywhere and median strips as wide as parks, its location south of the Yangtze River meant humid air and long hours of sunshine, making the summer unbearably hot and humid.

Tang Xiaohe entered the police station, and the cool air that greeted her calmed her anxious mood considerably.

A policeman in a blue uniform approached her, holding a registration form, and asked what help she needed.

Tang Xiaohe looked up and saw that the man appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with clean, sharp features, a high nose, slightly pursed lips, and an unapproachable air of righteousness in his eyes. His uniform collar was slightly open, revealing a glimpse of his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

This man was so handsome! He was totally her type!

"How can I help you?" a magnetic voice asked again, perhaps slightly raised in tone because she hadn't responded for a while.

Tang Xiaohe snapped out of her reverie, annoyed at herself for being so infatuated!

"Ah, I need to report a crime."

Ji Yanli nodded. "What crime?"

Thinking about this, Tang Xiaohe felt deep regret. Her shoulders slumped, and she whispered, "A fraud case." After a pause, she added, "I was scammed out of more than 20,000 yuan."

Ji Yanli helped her register her information and led her to the reception area.

"Tell me, how did you get scammed?" Ji Yanli sat opposite her, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong arms. He held a notebook and pen, presumably to take a statement.

"Well, today I received a WeChat request from someone claiming to be customer service from Ant Financial, saying they needed to change my identity information. Then they sent me a credit report, saying there were problems with my credit score and I needed to unbind it from some online lending platforms to restore it..."

"And you did exactly as they said?" Ji Yanli frowned.

Tang Xiaohe nodded awkwardly, feeling extremely wronged: "The scammer even warned me not to click on unfamiliar links. I thought he was really a staff member."

Ji Yanli's brows furrowed even deeper: "Did the scammer also warn you to be careful to distinguish between legitimate staff and scam groups, saying that online scams are rampant lately and to be extra cautious?"

Tang Xiaohe nodded repeatedly: "How did you know?!" Ji Yanli

was almost amused by her antics: "That's all the scammers' old tricks."

He glanced at her and continued, "I can tell you haven't downloaded the national anti-fraud app, have you?"

Tang Xiaohe wished she could disappear into the ground, stammering and unable to speak.

What could she say? Some time ago, Tang Xiaohe watched two live streams on a short video platform promoting the download of the national anti-fraud app. The first time, she couldn't listen because the host wasn't very attractive; the second time, she couldn't listen because the host was too beautiful. And so it was left unresolved.

Seeing her reaction, Ji Yanli guessed the answer.

"The National Anti-Fraud App is a mobile anti-fraud software launched by the Ministry of Public Security..."

"It can intelligently identify the identity of scammers and provide timely warnings..."

"Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu all successfully avoided being scammed because they downloaded the National Anti-Fraud App..."

Tang Xiaohe watched Ji Yanli lecturing her with a stern face, explaining the necessity of downloading this app, and couldn't help but drift off again. The handsome guy was good-looking, but he was so fierce and serious when he lectured her!

Tang Xiaohe listened with tears welling up in her eyes: "Can I still get my money back?"

Seeing her almost crying, Ji Yanli softened his tone, but no matter how soft his tone, the truth was still harsh: "Eighty or ninety percent of the time, it's impossible to get it back. These cases are usually committed by gangs. The receiving account appears to be in China, but it's actually overseas. Once your money is transferred there, they immediately conduct several rounds of money laundering, and in the end, it's basically impossible to get it back..."

Hearing this, Tang Xiaohe couldn't hold back anymore, and large tears streamed down her face.

And so, this scene unfolded in the police station: a beautiful woman in a black dress, her delicate nose now bright red, tears streaming from her clear, bright eyes like a broken string, falling in a pitiful patter.

Ji Yanli, who had been sitting languidly in the chair opposite him, his long legs crossed, his chin resting on his hand holding a pen, sat up straight, leaning back slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

He had always disliked women crying. But what was that saying again? You don't dislike macarons, you just haven't met the best ones yet.

What was wrong with him? Looking at the girl crying so pitifully, he actually found it somewhat beautiful, and a little heartbreaking!

"Officer Ji, why did you make that girl cry?"

a female officer passing by asked, noticing the scene.

Hearing the sound, Tang Xiaohe looked up, crying as she defended Ji Yanli: "It's not his fault, boohoo~ I got scammed, and I can't get my money back. I'm so heartbroken, I couldn't help crying, boohoo~"

"Alright, consider this a lesson learned." The policewoman shrugged at Ji Yanli, a hint of amusement in her voice, and casually comforted Tang Xiaohe before turning back to her work.

Amidst her sobs, a folded handkerchief was offered to Tang Xiaohe.

"Wipe your tears." Ji Yanli looked at the heartbroken Tang Xiaohe, his handsome brows furrowing as he considered the right words. He comforted her, "The money isn't necessarily lost forever. What's done is done, don't let it affect your mood anymore, okay?" Tang Xiaohe

understood that Ji Yanli was trying to comfort her, especially the last "okay," which sounded like he was soothing a child, but she still felt a warmth in her heart.

She took the handkerchief; it was soft and warm to the touch. Embroidered in the corner were the small seal characters "Yanli," which she couldn't help but read aloud.

Ji Yanli was a little surprised. The seal script for those two characters differed slightly from modern writing, and Tang Xiaohe recognized it at a glance, which made her even more curious about the girl before her.

Besides, her colleagues at work called him Officer Ji, her friends called him A-Ji, and only her family called him Yanli. Tang Xiaohe's voice was already soft, and now, because she had been crying, it unconsciously had a slight nasal tone. The words "Yanli" came out of her cherry-like lips with an indescribable softness. Ji Yanli's

eyes were deep.

Tang Xiaohe, however, didn't think much of it and picked up a handkerchief to wipe her tears. The handkerchief was taken from Ji Yanli's breast pocket; it still carried his body heat. As it brushed against her nose, a clear minty scent wafted out—a very pleasant smell, probably Ji Yanli's own scent.

Slowly, the tips of Tang Xiaohe's ears turned red. She realized that what was intimately in contact with her face was Ji Yanli's body heat and his scent! The handkerchief in her hand seemed to be burning with fire. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and thanked Ji Yanli, "Thank you, Officer Ji. This handkerchief..."

Before she could finish, she was interrupted, "You can keep it."

Tang Xiaohe knew in her heart that the money was probably gone forever, but otherwise she wouldn't have met such a handsome guy! If she could get her hands on this handsome man, then being scammed out of 20,000 yuan would have been worth it.

Ji Yanli stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, go back and wait for our notification. We'll have staff contact you if there's any progress in the case."

Tang Xiaohe bit her lip and tugged at his sleeve, "Officer Ji..." (This last part is a

promotional message for a book club and doesn't need a direct translation.)

"Officer Ji, can I add you on WeChat? It'll be easier to communicate if there are any updates to the case..."

Tang Xiaohe was a little nervous. She'd never been in a relationship before, and asking a boy for his WeChat was a first for her. Although she'd come up with a plausible reason, she was still worried he'd refuse—that would be incredibly awkward. Ji Yanli

hesitated for a moment, but his hands moved faster than his brain. Before he could react, he'd already pulled his phone from his pocket and held out to Tang Xiaohe: "Give me your phone."

"Huh? Oh, oh." Tang Xiaohe hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. She was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly pulled her phone from her bag and handed it over. In her haste, she lost her grip, and the phone fell to the floor. In that

instant, only one thought remained in Tang Xiaohe's mind: she hadn't checked the almanac before going out today, had just been scammed, and now she was about to break her phone—one financial loss after another! How unlucky she was!

Ji Yanli swiftly caught the phone, and it landed safely in his hand.

Tang Xiaohe's mind automatically picked up the theme song of a popular TV series from before. "It's fate!" she thought, and she was captivated by his handsomeness again.

Ji Yanli didn't see Tang Xiaohe's starry eyes. His slender fingers tapped the screen a few times, and with a "beep," Tang Xiaohe saw that Ji Yanli had scanned the QR code with her phone and then accepted the friend request on his own.

After adding her as a friend, Ji Yanli didn't return her phone. Instead, he opened the app store, searched for something, and clicked download.

Tang Xiaohe leaned over to look, and the blue icon caught her eye—it was the National Anti-Fraud Center app.

The distance between them unconsciously closed. Ji Yanli felt warm breath on his neck, a little ticklish. He took a small step back and handed the phone back to Tang Xiaohe.

"I've downloaded the Anti-Fraud Center app for you. Don't secretly delete it," Ji Yanli said earnestly. Tang Xiaohe nodded obediently, like a primary school student. Back home,

Tang

Xiaohe turned on the air conditioner, took a large watermelon from the refrigerator, cut it in half, wrapped the remaining half in plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator, then grabbed a spoon, sat on the carpet, and started eating it directly.

She hated the sweaty, sticky summer, but she loved eating ice-cold watermelon in an air-conditioned room. Now that the money was almost gone, she decided to find a way to salvage her terrible mood.

"You know I wanna be your destiny..."

The phone rang; it was her best friend Lin Jing calling. Tang Xiaohe pulled a tissue from the coffee table, wiped her fingers, and answered.

"How's it going? Is there any chance of getting the money back?"

Tang Xiaohe sighed. "I don't know, the police said it's probably difficult."

"Oh, do you still have money to pay rent and food? I have 15,000 yuan here, can you take it?"

"Forget it, I'll ask the landlady if I can pay the rent for next quarter at the end of the month, when my fixed deposit matures."

Lin Jing knew that Tang Xiaohe was worried about how hard it was for her to earn money, and knew that she wouldn't accept it no matter how much she tried to persuade her, so she said, "Okay then, if you have any difficulties, just ask your sister. Don't try to tough it out. If it really doesn't work, just apologize to your dad..."

"Okay, love you, Jingjing~"

Tang Xiaohe remembered that three months ago, she went on a blind date at her father's behest. The other party's family was in the landscaping business, and they had some business dealings with her family. Tang's father had met their eldest son and praised him as a handsome and promising young man, so he figured their younger son wouldn't be any less impressive, and ordered Tang Xiaohe to meet him.

The man turned out to be incredibly eccentric, completely self-centered in his words and actions. On their first date, when the time came, he said, "I'm full, let's meet another day," infuriating Tang Xiaohe who threw a tantrum and refused to go again. Her father generously gifted her two Hermes bags, and Tang Xiaohe reluctantly agreed.

However, on their first meeting, the man bluntly told Tang Xiaohe to cut her hair short, explaining that he liked Qi Wei (a famous Chinese actress). Tang Xiaohe thought this was outrageous. To avoid attending such absurd blind dates again, she staged a ghost possession act on the spot, scaring the man so much he nearly called the police.

The man exaggerated the story and spread it around, essentially eliminating her chances of finding a partner in Jincheng, infuriating her father who then canceled all her supplementary credit cards. Stubborn and unwilling to back down, Tang Xiaohe left Jincheng for Nancheng, where her best friend lived, and found a job as a Chinese language teacher at a private school, starting a new life.

"Hmph, now that she has someone she likes, she's going to bring Officer Ji home with her own abilities. Her parents will definitely be very happy. Until then, she's not going to back down!"

After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiaohe sent a WeChat message to her landlady. "

Poached Egg": "Auntie, something unexpected happened to me. Could I pay you the rent for next quarter at the end of the month?"

The reply came quickly: "What's wrong, sweetie?" "

Poached Egg": "...I fell victim to an online scam and was cheated out of 20,000 yuan. I have the other part of the money in a fixed deposit, which hasn't matured yet. Don't worry, Auntie, I'll definitely be able to pay it by the end of the month!" "

Warm Sunflower": "Oh my goodness, that heartless scammer, that scoundrel, even cheating such a nice girl like you! The rent for next quarter is waived. My son is about your age, and it's not easy for young people to live away from home. Auntie doesn't need that little bit of money."

Tang Xiaohe was completely shocked, but then she thought about it. If her own parents encountered a child about her age in trouble, they wouldn't be able to resist helping them too. This is probably the soft spot in a parent's heart.

Warm Sunflower: "By the way, my son is a policeman in this southern city. How about I give you his WeChat so you can talk to him about the situation?"

Touched by the landlady's kindness, Tang Xiaohe decided to decline. She already had a policeman on her contact list, and he was her crush; she didn't need to add another one.

Poached Egg: "No need, thank you, Auntie. I've already called the police. I'll pay the rent as soon as possible; I'd feel bad staying here if I didn't pay."

Warm Sunflower: "The money isn't urgent. You can pay whenever you want. Don't pressure yourself too much!"

After communicating with the landlady, Tang Xiaohe opened her chat with Ji Yanli. It only showed the message, "You have added Ji Yanli. You can chat now."

Tang Xiaohe thought for a moment, typed a line on the screen, and quickly deleted it.

Her slender fingers tapped Ji Yanli's profile picture. It was a boy walking a large golden retriever by the sea. Looking closely at the figure, it seemed to be Ji Yanli himself. Did he like dogs?

Liking cats and dogs must mean he has a kind heart, Tang Xiaohe silently increased her favorability towards Ji Yanli by one point.

She smiled faintly, and suddenly a voice message popped into her mind—a popular background music from a short video platform: "You're doomed, you've fallen in love!"